Abstract: A method for use in connection with installing a fiber unit into a conduit having a first end and a second end, the method being suitable to detect when the fiber unit introduced into the first end arrives at the second end. The fiber unit is introduced into the conduit from the first end and installed towards the second end; introducing a light with a light source into the fiber unit at the first end; detecting reflected light in the fiber unit with a light detector at the first end, and detecting changes in the reflected light, whereby an operator may determine that the fiber unit has arrived at the second end.

Abstract: A method of recovering data in a line signal which is predicted to be subjected to repetitive noise impulses, the line signal comprising a series of data frames, the method comprising the steps of: predicting a group comprising one or more frames in said line signal which are expected to be corrupted by a noise signal; blanking said group of one or more frames which are predicted to be corrupted; determining the preceding and succeeding frames adjacent to said group; and including in each said group of one or more frames one or more parity blocks wherein if said noise signal deviates from its predicted timing interval or duration and corrupts the data carried in one or more of said frames adjacent to said group, the corrupted data is recovered using one or more of said parity blocks of said group of blanked frames and the other one of said adjacent frames.

Abstract: A multi-user communications service is configured by: setting up a choreography linking a plurality of user process control flows and a multi-user service configuration process; receiving via the choreography at the multi-user service configuration process requests from the plurality of user process control flows for access to the multi-user communications service and granting access to the multi-user communications service to selected users; in which the choreography provides a fixed interface supporting the independent reconfiguration of the user process control flows and the multi-user service configuration process.

Abstract: A peer-to-peer network operating in accordance with a service-oriented architecture is disclosed. The peers in the network request services from one another and each keep a record of the quality of service they receive from the other peers. The peers can operate in two modes of service provider selection. In a first mode, the selection is so as to favor service providers which have provided the peer with good service in the past. In a second mode, the selection is probabilistic and can therefore select service providers other than those that have provided good service in the past. Each device keeps track of the relative success of adopting the second mode of selection. By occasionally using the second mode of selection and adopting the second mode of selection more frequently should the relative success of adopting the second mode of selection rise, a more rapid adjustment by the network to changing network conditions is enabled.

Abstract: Each node in a hierarchical network regularly checks to determine whether its network connection is intact. If not, it autonomously communicates with other nodes in the physical neighborhood, using wireless capability also included at each node. It first searches for a wireless path to its immediate neighbors in the hierarchy attempting to reach a working node connected to the same distribution point. The nodes collect, store and exchange connectivity data on neighboring nodes. One member of a group of nodes that have exchanged connectivity information is selected to transmit a connectivity report to network control center. If not itself connected to the hierarchical network, the selected node can use the connection to the closest working node and its broadband connection to the network control center to inform the network operator of the fault and its likely location.

Abstract: A process is provided in which a first device, e.g., a hub device of a home network, is temporarily provided with a SIM to store a challenge-response, and thereafter the first device uses the stored challenge-response to interrogate a second device, e.g., a mobile telephone, to authenticate that the second device now has the SIM with which the first device was previously provided. A further process is provided in which the second device authenticates that the first device previously had access to the SIM by verifying that a response from one or more challenge-response pairs provided by the first device to the second device is the same as a response received by the second device from the SIM when the second device interrogates the SIM with the challenge of the challenge-response pair received earlier from the first device.

Abstract: Supplementary data associated with a broadcast transmission (5, 26) is made available to the viewer by identifying the content currently being received at a user terminal (2). The user generates a request for data which includes the identity of the broadcast content. This request is transmitted from the user terminal (2) to a content provision platform (4). The content provision platform retrieves supplementary data associated with the identified broadcast content and delivers the supplementary data to a predetermined return address (9).

Abstract: Under a system referred to as GAA in the 3G protocol, authentication of devices in a network that is usually performed by a home subscriber server can be transferred to a third party element known as a bootstrapping server function. However, the use of a bootstrapping server function does not completely address the problem of reducing authentication traffic at the home subscriber server. Such a problem is alleviated by utilizing the original session key generated under GAA and using that key in a recursive process to authenticate and generate further session keys at other network elements. This generation of further keys can be performed independently of the home subscriber server, and thus reduces traffic at the home subscriber server.

Abstract: A method and system to allow congestion charging signals to be generated and congestion charges to be applied on an inter-domain basis, on an aggregated basis and not on a per flow basis. Each network domain charges its neighboring domain for any ECN marks that it forwards to them. Since a flow will collect marks as it progresses across the network the last network domain (typically an Internet service provider (ISP) located at the edge of the network domains) will levy a charge based on a higher number of marks than any of the charges levied by other domains involved in the transmission of the flow, and this higher charge can be passed on to the end user, preferably as a single aggregated charge per subscriber per accounting period. Each network domain (whether an edge ISP or other domain such as an intermediate ISP) will forward traffic to other network domains and consequently can produce a single aggregated charge per connected domain.

Abstract: A network is configured or made configurable to provide a process exploiting services distributed among nodes of the network by means of a step-by-step search, the search for one service starting at a node providing a previous service.

Abstract: A decoder for video signals, such as MPEG, which uses motion-compensated bidirectional predictive coding, performs concealment of lost or corrupted portions of a picture. For this purpose, it estimates missing motion vectors by combining the two vectors which accompany a bidirectionally coded frame to create a substitute vector. An encoder can be modified to enhance this decoder operation, including forcing at least one frame per group of frames to be coded using bidirectional prediction, and constraining the two vectors so that the substitute vector is closer to the wanted value.

Abstract: One or more users of a present state are notified of at least one property of an entity. A request message is received from a user over a first communications channel, the message containing information indicative of at least one property of an entity in which the user is interested. The present state of the at least one property is determined, as is an identifier of a second communications channel onto which future messages containing information relating to future changes of state of the at least one property of the entity will be transmitted. A reply message is transmitted to the user, the reply message containing information indicative of the present state of the at least one property and of the identifier of the second communications channel.

Abstract: A communications system in which carrier Ethernet conveys a plurality of differing types of client signals encapsulated with a generic framing procedure adaptation layer. The client signals are adapted for encapsulation within the carrier Ethernet frames by mapping the client signal within an generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal and then by mapping the generic framing procedure adaptation layer signal into the carrier Ethernet signal, the client signal being identified within the generic framing procedure signal.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling service requests from a client to a server involves intercepting and controlling the transmission of service requests from the client to the server. The service requests are queued at the client and the transmission of the queued service requests are delayed to smooth the frequency of service requests transmitted to the server.

Abstract: A contention window for allocating bandwidth in a wireless network is determined. A plurality of nodes includes at least a first and a second router and at least one client connected to each of the first and second routers. Information is received at the first router from the other nodes, the information relating to the condition of the other nodes. A contention window is calculated for the first router based on the received information and the delay is set for a retransmission of data by the first router to the calculated contention window following an unsuccessful transmission of the data.

Abstract: An interactive workflow schedule optimizer arranged to enable a user to reconfigure an instantiated workflow for a task comprising a plurality of actions having a predetermined dependency relationship to each other. The optimizer comprises means to input one or more user-specified constraint conditions into the workflow schedule optimizer; means to regenerate a workflow dependent on user specified condition from the instantiated workflow, the regenerated workflow satisfying said one or more user-specified constraint conditions. The optimizer optimises the global utilisation of the resources required to fulfil the user request by processing in parallel the resource requirements of each of said plurality of actions required by the regenerated workflow.

Abstract: A computer system has a plurality of components which can be initialized. A plurality of components can be initialized and each component is configured to produce status data from which the level of need for that component to be initialized can be inferred. At least one component is configured to: receive status data from other components; make a comparison using the status data received from respective components; in dependence on the comparison, select one or more components for initialization; and, issue initialization instructions to the selected component(s). By making a comparison between the status data from different components, the relative need for different components to be initialized can be evaluated, allowing a component with a high need for initialization to be selected over a component with a lower need.

Abstract: A method of operating an ad hoc network comprising a plurality of devices (11-16). Each device includes communication means for communicating with other ones of the plurality of devices when they are in range. The method involves storing on each device one or more nodal policies (1-6) which specify rules for determining how a device should behave in response to various prevailing circumstances and controlling each device to operate in accordance with one or more of the stored nodal policies. Additionally, each device stores a fitness parameter and adjusts the value of the fitness parameter in dependence upon the level of activity of the device (in particular, activity which is consistent with its stored policies).

Abstract: Techniques are provided for operating a network where router devices forward received data packets towards a destination node. Each router maintains a routing table, indicating the next hop to choose in respect of different ultimate destinations m accordance with a routing protocol. Periodic communications between neighboring routers are used as confirmation that they are still able to communicate with one another. Each router compares the time since it last communicated in this way with each of its neighbors with a router dead interval and determines that the respective neighboring router, or the currently designated route thereto, has gone down if the comparison indicates that the router dead interval has elapsed without such a communication having been received. Each router performs an adaptive algorithm to modify the or each corresponding router dead interval dynamically in accordance with one or more properties of the network as measured by the router.

Abstract: In a method of operating a data network comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes (30) each of which is operable to perform one or more services upon receiving a suitable request for a service, one or more user devices (10) connected to the network can issue requests (12, 14) for a service to be carried out by a node or nodes within the network.